Even though the arrest of former law Minister Raghunath Mohanty has brought huge relief to the BJD, the Barsa Swony Choudhury dowry case has once again exposed the fault lines of the ruling party headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
It has reinforced the impression that many Ministers and senior party functionaries are not really bothered about the credibility of the party and its public image. But Naveen Patnaik seems to act only under pressure from the Opposition parties and the media.
Besides being a Minister and an MlA for 23 long years, Raghunath Mohanty was also a vice-president of the BJD. But his moves in the wake of the filing of the FIR by his daughter-in-law, including his fortnight-long hiding, suggested that he was more concerned about the fate of his family than that of his party.
Patnaik as the BJD president removed Mohanty as party vice-president only after public criticism over the latter being allowed to continue in the post for more than a fortnight after being accused of a dowry torture case.